Struggling to make ends meet? Make the most of your student loan with our four student housing quick-tips to help you get through university on the cheap.
1. Make sure you’re not paying council tax
If you’re living in student accommodation with other students, you won’t have to pay any council tax for the duration of your university course. That’s right; nothing, nil, zilch, none.
Are you eligible?
You’re classed as a full-time student for council tax rules if:
You’re aged over 18 and you’re studying at a university, college, or similar.
Your university course lasts for at least 24 weeks in the year.
Your university course involves at least 21 hours of study per week.
Living in Student Halls
Students living in student halls of residence will automatically be exempt, and will not be required to tell the council.
Living in Student House
It’s likely that you’ll receive a council tax bill not long into your student tenancy, but don’t panic! All you’ll need to do is get in contact with your local council and apply for student exceptions – it shouldn’t take too long. Usually, you’ll be required to give them your name, student number and university course, and they’ll be able to arrange your exception electronically for you.
Alternatively, your university may have an online system to process your student status with your local council. If you’re having trouble, get in touch with your university and they should be able to help you sort it out.
It’s always worth checking with your landlord or student letting agency before you do this though, as they may have already passed the information over to the local Council for you.
Non-Student Housemates
If you’re living in a student house with someone who isn’t a student, they will have to pay council tax for living in the property, and will be responsible for paying it. They’ll be eligible for a 25% discount off the total council tax bill for living with student housemates.
Please note: you’ll only be exempt from council tax for the duration of your university course. If your student tenancy starts before your course, you’ll be responsible for paying council tax between your tenancy start date and course start date, and similarly for the end of your tenancy and course date.
2. Use less energy
What could you do?
Feeling cold? Rather than putting on the thermostat, just chuck on a thick-woolly jumper. You’ve already paid for the jumper, so why purchase heating what you do slip on something to keep you warm.
Energy Saving light bulbs. Choosing an energy saving light bulb will save you up-to £10 on your electricity bill per light bulb. That’s right, £10 a year, just for changing to a £3 energy efficient light bulb.
Switching off the lights. If you’re not in the room, turn the lights off. You’re going to be wasting power, and throwing money away if you’re not using it.
Worrying about how you’re going to split the bills in your student house? We offer an all-in-one bills package to make sure you and your housemates equally split the bills in one, simple, monthly payment. We’ll bundle all of your bills together, and bill all of you separately, so you’re not responsible for anyone else’s share.
3. Student accommodation insurance
Check your parent's cover. If your parents have home insurance, the perishables in your student house may be automatically covered under the ‘temporarily removed from the home’ section. The cover will only apply whilst you’re living at university and if your parent’s home is your permanent address.
Don’t assume that student insurance is cheaper. Be wary using comparison sites for contents insurance in rented student accommodation or shared student housing; you need to make sure the policy covers you and your living situation. As a renter, your landlord is responsible for buildings insurance, so you should only be getting contents cover.
Lock your doors. If you're in shared student accommodation, your insurance won't cover you for theft unless there's been a violent or forced entry. So always make sure you lock your room door when you leave, even if you're just popping out briefly.
Want to protect your valuable possessions at university? We work with third-party providers to offer contents insurance for your possessions in the event they are lost, damaged or stolen, and accidental damage to the property.
4. Ensure your deposit is protected
It’s important to know your rights in private digs to make sure you’re protecting your money.
Landlords must protect your deposit in a government backed scheme. Your student landlord will have 30 days from the day they receive your deposit to put it into a tenancy deposit protection scheme, and they must provide proof of this if asked. If they fail to put your deposit in a scheme, you could be entitled to up to four time your deposit value in compensation.
Make sure a check-in and property inventory are completed. Ask your landlord to carry out an inventory check before you move in; including a full description of the condition of anything inside the property and images too. This will protect you at the end of your tenancy, and if there’s damage which was there once you moved in, it will give you proof in case of a dispute.